Improvement in end-gates for wagons



A. M. SMITH. End-Gate for Wagons.

Patented ]u'ne10,187 9.-

N-PETERS, PNDTO-LITHOBRAPHER wAsumGToN D c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALPHA M. SMITH, OF TAMPIOO, ILLINOIS.

. IMPROVEMENT IN END-GATES FOR WAGONS;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 216,464, dated J une10, 1879; application filed April 28, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALPHA M. SMITH, of Tampico, in the county of-Whiteside and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in End-Grates for Wagons, of which the following is aspecification.

Figure 1 is a perspective, showing the present device as in use on acarriage or wagon body. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of device shown inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail in under plan, showing the rod withspring-fingers for engaging upon the points on the gate to lock it. iThe object of the present invention is to provide a safe, cheap, andstrong latch for the end-gates or tail-boards of carts, wagons, and likecarriages; and the novelty consists more particularly in the, peculiarconstruction and combination of the several parts, whereby theseadvantages are attained, all as will now be more in detail set out andexplained.

In the accompanying drawings, A denotes any ordinary cart or wagon body,and B the end-gate or tail-board. This gate or tailboard has on eachside, at the upper corners, trunnions b, which are adapted to fit intothe oblong or elliptical shaped holes a in the sides of the wagon-body.Thus the gate or tailboard will have free motion from the vertical, whenit is closed, to the horizontal, when it is opened. This trunnion has ahead, I), on its end, which will serve to retain it in place when inuse.

When it is desirable to take the gate out, it will only be necessary tohold the gate in horizontal position till the flat ends of the trunnionsmatch with the elliptical holes a in the wagon sides. Then the wagonsides may be sprung slightly apart and the gate can be readily removed.To put the gate in position it is only necessary to reverse thisabovedescribed operation; but, while I prefer to use this means ormethod of hinging, it is obvious that any usual orordinary way or meansof hingin g will answer the necessary ends.

On the lower edge of the tail-board are points or fingers b, suitablyattached and projecting a little beyond the board, which points, inclosing the gate, will pass into the slots at in the bottom board of thewagon and over the short arms 0 of the rod 0, which .lie against thebottoms of said slots, the said rod extending under the body of thewagon and having attached to its outer end the spring D. Thus thegate-points b, in moving on the short arms O,'will, with but small forceon the gate, slide over them, and then find a seat in the inner end ofthe slot, when the arms will brace against them and hold the gate firmlyclosed.

In order to provide for the release of these points from these seatswhen it is desired to open the gate, there is a handle, a, on the outerend of rod 0, which is placed at any convenient point for use and forfinish in making up the wagon. By pressing down this handle the arms 0will be turned down, and free passage out for the points I) will thus beafforded. It may also be convenient to have a ring, 0, on the outside ofthe tail-board with which to move it easily.

In shutting the tail-board or end-gate it may be well to have stops orcleats h or any like attachment on the inside of the side boards, tocause the inward movement to be only such as will bring the points I)well into their seats.

The parts of my device are few, the device is cheaply made, easily used,is strong, cannot easily get out of order, and can be applied in such aneat and ELtlJIELObIX'G way to the wagon asnot to detract in the leastfrom its symmetry.

Having thus described my invention, what I consider new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In combination with the end-gate ortailboard B, having points b on its lower edge, the wagon floor, slottedat a, and the rod 0,

held in place by a spring and provided with arms a, substantially as setforth.

2. In a wagon or cart, the rod 0, having arms 0 and handle a, combinedwith spring D and tail-board B, hinged as described, and having pointsb, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

ALPHA M. SMITH. Witnesses:

T. R. MAKFIELD, J. P. BADGLEY.

